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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24457990">The Serpent's Heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quarantinevibes/pseuds/Quarantinevibes'>Quarantinevibes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Nothing an Adventure can't Fix [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Background Intrulogical - Freeform, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders Angst, Deceit Sanders Angst, Descriptions of Blood, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I don't know the new ship name, I gave Remus some braincells in this one, Jaman?, Janus being gay for 10 whole chapters, Janus dramatically drapes himself over multiple surfaces, Light Angst, Logic | Logan Sanders Angst, M/M, Morality | Patton Sanders Angst, Nightmares, Prince-us?, Roceit - Freeform, Swearing, Virgil is an emotional support spider, as a treat, descriptions of nightmares, janus angst, romus?, sequel to Monsters of the Subconscious</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 00:27:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,238</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24457990</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quarantinevibes/pseuds/Quarantinevibes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Giant monsters made of tongues and blades? A killer personification of repression? A gaping stab wound? Janus has dealt with all of it before and it left him shaken, confused, and worst of all: with a big, fat crush on a certain Prince.</p><p>A week after returning home with Roman from the depths of the subconscious, Janus tries to sort out his feelings. What will happen when he tries to talk to Roman? Why was Janus acting so strangely in the subconscious? Are they both as ok as they believe themselves to be? And really, how is Patton doing?</p><p>Complete!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Nothing an Adventure can't Fix [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1765177</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>688</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>629</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Snakes and Elderberries</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello!<br/>If you're just reading this, please please read the first book: Monsters of the Subconscious (otherwise you may be very confused)<br/>If you're coming from the first book, thank you so much for deciding to read the sequel! Hope you enjoy it :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“And <em>then</em> Roman dodged the bear claw, even though his shoulder was wounded!” Janus exclaimed and held up Remus’s small stuffed octopus to his chest. It had been a week since Roman and Janus had escaped the subconscious, but Janus wasn't getting tired of retelling the story.</p><p>Remus, on the other hand.</p><p>The other side had one hand on his hip and the other pinching the bride of his nose. Remus groaned as he took Janus by the shoulders.</p><p>“Janus. I love you. You’re like a brother to me and I love listening to you. But if you keep talking about wanting to get with my actual brother I will FUCKING lose it, k?” he said.</p><p>Janus sputtered and pushed him back, the octopus falling softly onto Remus’s black and green comforter. “I- I don’t want to 'get with' your brother! Can’t I objectively admire someone without getting romantic love involved?”</p><p>“The way you’re going on like some lovesick puppy? No.”</p><p>Janus pouted, “I am not lovesick! I’m just saying Roman is really brave and super strong, like <em>super</em> strong. I once shoved at him with all my might and he didn’t even budge! Oh! Did I tell you about the time he threw me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing?”</p><p>“You did, and if you mention it again, I’ll throw you across the room.”</p><p>Janus sighed dreamily, “I want Roman to throw me across the room.”</p><p>Remus gagged and rolled his eyes, “And they call me the crazy one. I didn’t think I’d have to do this, but,” Remus snapped his fingers. A plastic cup appeared in his hands and filled with a golden-brown liquid. Janus squinted.</p><p>“Uh. What is that?”</p><p>Remus swirled the liquid around, “I have a wide range of knowledge on certain poisonous plants should Thomas ever want to creatively murde- I mean, should Thomas ever want to write a scene that has to do with poison. Did you know that the twigs and leaves of elderberries can cause nausea and even induce a coma in humans? Or that caffeine in doses higher than 10 g is toxic?”</p><p>Janus scratched his head, “Uh. Ok, what does that have anything to do with-?”</p><p>“BUT,” Remus suddenly shouted, cutting Janus off, “In the right doses, with the right amount of sugar, cream, and flavor profiling, it can turn into,” Remus snapped again, and a certain side popped into the room. He looked around for a minute, and then pushed his sunglasses up his nose and beamed.</p><p>“Remus, darling, please tell me that’s another one of your coffee creations.”</p><p>Remus grinned and handed the cup to the embodiment of sleep. Remy took a long slurp and raised an eyebrow at him.</p><p>“You know this is the only reason I let you keep Thomas awake sometimes. Ah, elderberry? Very interesting choice, and oh!” he glanced at Janus, “If it isn’t my favorite snake. How are you and that gorg boyfriend of yours doing?”</p><p>Remus twirled his mustache smugly as Janus stuttered.</p><p>“I-wha-he’s not my boyfriend!”</p><p>Remy frowned, “No? Oh, shame, do you need help getting your man?”</p><p>“He’s not my man!” Janus said, his voice getting higher and higher with each syllable. Remy raised his eyebrow.</p><p>“Oh, my, I see why you called me. Hunny, I know you’re supposed to be the master of lies or whatever but, come on. No need to lie to yourself.”</p><p>“I’m not!”</p><p>“Oh? So you weren’t going on and on about ‘Roman this’ and ‘Roman that’ when you visited me on my island?”</p><p>Janus huffed and grabbed the stuffed octopus again, “I was just admiring his bravery, nothing more,” he said, muttering into the octopus’s head.</p><p>“Yeah, sure babe, so you uh,” Remy finished off his coffee and inspected his nails, “definitely haven’t been dreaming about him?”</p><p>Remus stopped his infuriating twirling and looked at Janus who straightened.</p><p>“How did you know about last night??” he asked. Remy stared for a moment before doubling over in laughter.</p><p>“What’s so funny?” Janus squeaked and Remy waved a hand in his direction, trying to curb his giggles.</p><p>“I-omg, I just assumed you had been dreaming about him. But really, as recently as last night? Oh hunny, you’ve got it bad.”</p><p>Remus wiggled an eyebrow in Janus’s direction, “Ooh, what did you dream about, did you,” suddenly he gagged, “actually, you know what, maybe I don’t want to know, gosh this would be so fun if it didn’t involve my <em>brother</em>.”</p><p>Janus reddened and stood up, “It wasn’t anything like…like whatever you’re thinking! I just-”</p><p>Janus thought about his dream. It had started out as a nightmare. The shadow hands were back, dragging Roman away, Roman’s eyes dead with acceptance and grey with grief. Janus screamed at him, trying to pound into his thick head just how amazing he was, when Roman finally broke free. The shadows shrunk away, leaving Roman basking in a soft golden light. The tears on his cheeks glittered and caught the light of the smile that grew on his face. He opened his eyes, staring at Janus as if he were the only thing that existed.</p><p>“Shit,” Janus said quietly and sat back down, “shit,” he repeated because one time was not enough.</p><p>Remus scoffed, “You’re seriously realizing it just now?”</p><p>“Shut up,” Janus groaned, using the octopus plushie to cover his face. He had a crush? He couldn’t have a crush! He was the Lord of the Lies! The strategic, cunning side! He couldn’t have a crush like a silly school child, he didn’t- he couldn’t-</p><p>He thought about Roman’s smile again.</p><p>He totally, 100%, definitely, definitely did.</p><p>“What’s the problem, gurl? Crushes are fun!” Remy said, motioning for Remus to refill his coffee cup, which he did, this time an iced version.</p><p>“No,” he rubbed his face and threw himself fully onto Remus’s bed, “No, not fun! Roman has enough to deal with, what with Thomas and him and Patton and- I can’t just throw this into the mix!”</p><p>Remy hummed, “Mmk, then what are you going to do about it?”</p><p>Janus rolled over so that his face was in Remus’s pillow, “I’m going to not think about it and push it down until these feelings go away.”</p><p>Remus snatched the pillow from under Janus’s face and threw it at him, “Didn’t you nearly die on an island that was literally made of repression?”</p><p>Janus scowled and got up, “I- I’ll just avoid him! Maybe if I talk to the other sides, they’ll tell me the best ways to do that!”</p><p>Remy scoffed and Remus sighed, putting a hand to his chin, “Well, if that’s really what you want, Logan’s having breakfast right now if you want to talk to him.”</p><p>Janus lit up, “Brilliant! That-” he blinked, “How do you know when Logan has breakfast?”</p><p>Remus straightened and got up, he took Janus by the shoulders and pushed him out the door, “Well! Better get a move on before he leaves, good luck, love ya, bye!” he slammed the door closed and turned to Remy.</p><p>“I give him a week,” Remus said.</p><p>Remy smirked and began to sink out, “I give him a day.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Snakes and Earl Grey</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Janus goes to talk to Logan</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello everyone!<br/>If you're new, please please read the first book: Monsters of the Subconscious (otherwise you may be very confused)<br/>If you're coming from the first book, thank you so much for reading and for giving the sequel a chance! Hope you enjoy the chapter :D</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Janus walked into the kitchen and spotted the logical side sitting at the table, sipping some tea in a black, ceramic mug. Janus stuck out his tongue a little and sniffed the air.</p><p>“Is that elderberry?” he asked and Logan startled, seemingly only just noticing Janus’s presence. He blinked and straightened his glasses.</p><p>“Ah, yes. Remus gave me some to try, it’s actually quite good.”</p><p>Janus hummed and fished out a tea strainer for himself. He shook some leaves from his rapidly diminishing box of Earl Grey and poured water over it, letting it steep a few moments before pouring himself a mug and sitting across from Logan.</p><p>Logan had always been a difficult one for Janus. Back when he was trying to pull the strings of Thomas’s mind, Logan had been the first one Janus needed to get rid of because, in a way, Logan symbolized truth. But it was objective truth. Cold, hard facts that could sometimes skew a situation without context. Recently, he had had to pull Logan out in order to help Thomas. He had been meaning to apologize, but had never found the right time.</p><p>“Uh,” Logan said, breaking Janus out of his thoughts, “I don’t mean to come off as rude, but is there a reason you’re here?”</p><p>Janus shook his head and took a sip of his tea, “Ah. Actually yes, but before I get to that, I wanted to say something.”</p><p>Logan blinked at him and Janus took a deep breath. Now’s a good a time as any.</p><p>“I wanted to apologize for yanking you out of the last video. I didn’t mean any ill-will by it, but I saw it as the only way to get Thomas to listen to me.”</p><p>Logan stared for a moment before letting out a short laugh, “You wanted to get Thomas to listen to you by transforming into me?” he looked down, “Not your smartest plan.”</p><p>Janus blinked. What the heck did that mean?</p><p>“Well, it’s not like you are the smartest side or anything,” Janus said with an eye roll and Logan scoffed.</p><p>“Smarts don’t mean anything if you’re ignored.”</p><p>“Thomas ignored me for a while and we all saw how that panned out. If Thomas isn’t listening to actual logic? Then that’s a him problem, not a you problem,” Janus countered. Logan’s eyes widened for a moment before darkening again.</p><p>Janus tilted his head at the other side and took in his expression. The furrowed brow, tense shoulders. Logan sighed and took off his glasses, rubbed the steam from the tea off of them, and set them on the table.</p><p>“Sorry,” Logan said and rubbed at his forehead, “I appreciate the apology, and the lies of encouragement. Thank you for trying to make me feel better.”</p><p>Janus frowned, “I wasn’t lying-”</p><p>“GOOD MORNING SPECS!” a voice boomed from behind him, making Janus nearly jump out of his seat.</p><p>Logan nodded at the Prince who walked in, “Good morning, Roman,” he glanced at Janus who had a hand on his heart from the scare, “perhaps consider announcing your presence a little less startlingly next time?” he said and Roman looked over at Janus.</p><p>“Ah,” he said, “I didn’t see you there,” Roman opened the fridge and grabbed half a bagel before popping it in the toaster. He turned back to Janus.</p><p>“Good morning, Janus,” he said, smiling widely and dammit, dammit. A brooding Roman was hot, sure. But a smiling one?</p><p>Smiling Roman could have Janus’s entire soul.</p><p>“Morning,” Janus said, cursing how high pitched his voice came out. Logan raised an eyebrow at the blush that was growing on Janus’s face. Logan looked back at Roman.</p><p>“Only half a bagel for breakfast?” he questioned and Roman smirked.</p><p>“Well, someone did tell me that I needed to, what was it? Lay off the bagels?” he said and wiggled an eyebrow at Janus who sunk into his chair.</p><p>Why, why, oh why would he have said something like that? They were being chased by a bear! He was under a lot of pressure at the time!</p><p>“I- I didn’t actually mean that! It’s not like you’re fat, you must just be heavy because of the muscle,” Janus stopped, his face reddening even more, “ NOT that you were super heavy, I mean not that you don’t have a lot of muscle either, that-I,” Janus eyed his drink, wondering how much water he would need to drown himself right then and there.</p><p>Logan was giving him a wide-eyed look, but Roman only laughed.</p><p>“I’m only kidding with you, Janus. I actually had a smoothie earlier, so I’m not too hungry,” he said. The toaster popped up his bagel and Roman grabbed it, winked, and walked out of the kitchen.</p><p>Janus turned back to see Logan staring at him. He pulled his bowler hat down and covered the sides of his head.</p><p>“What?” he hissed.</p><p> Logan blinked, “Wow. You’ve uh”, he summoned a small pile of cards, rifled through them and held one up with both hands, “got it bad,” he finished and Janus groaned. If Logan could tell, then there was no way he was being subtle.</p><p>“It’s really that obvious?”</p><p>Logan nodded.</p><p>Janus slowly let go of his hat and put his elbows on the table while leaning his face into his hands, “That’s, uh. That’s actually why I wanted to talk to you.”</p><p>Logan straightened, “Oh. Um. I do not believe I am the right source for this sort of matter. Romance is not my specialty. Perhaps try-”</p><p>Janus waved a hand in his face, “Don’t worry, I’m not asking you about romance. I don’t want these feelings so I’m asking what the best way to avoid Roman is.”</p><p>Logan’s shoulders slumped a little. He sipped his drink, “Not wanting feelings is something I understand, but,” he looked up at Janus, “why do you want to get rid of them?”</p><p>Janus blushed and finished off his drink. “It’s just, Roman has a lot going on right now, and besides,” he tapped his cheek, “there’s no way the feelings are reciprocated, especially with these ugly scales? I mean-”</p><p>Janus looked down and felt his heart tug. He had just learned that he had a crush, so he hadn’t even thought about the possibility of getting rejected. Now that he said it out loud, he was sure that he wanted to get rid of these feelings.</p><p>Logan frowned.</p><p>“Your scales aren’t ugly.”</p><p>Janus looked up. He would tell Logan not to lie, but Logan wasn’t a good liar.</p><p>“In fact,” Logan continued and leaned forward a bit, “they’re actually rather fascinating. I once hypothesized that they would be smooth as opposed to slimy, but I was never able to test the hypothesis.”</p><p>Janus blinked at Logan who put a hand to his chin.</p><p>“Do you mind if I touch them?”</p><p>Janus blushed hard. He couldn’t help it. It didn’t look like the nerd had implied anything by his statement, but his scales were a bit sensitive. The look in Logan’s eyes though, sparkling at the thought of being able to support or reject his hypothesis, made Janus sigh.</p><p>“Uh. Sure, Logan. Just be gentle.”</p><p>Logan’s eyes lit up and he stood over the table, leaning slightly and cupping Janus’s face with his hand. Without his glasses, Janus could make out the deep blue specs in Logan’s eyes and the intense stare he had made Janus look away.</p><p>“They really are smooth,” Logan muttered, his face so close that Janus could smell the tea on his breath, “And a bit soft. Fascinating.”</p><p>Janus bit his lip nervously. His scales were tingling and he wanted Logan to let go, “Uh, Logan, I-”</p><p>“Whoops! Forgot my cream chee-” said a voice from behind him and Janus jumped and scooted back in his chair. He turned around to where Roman was staring, a bit wide eyed.</p><p>“Oh,” he said softly and looked from Janus to Logan and back to Janus, “I. Uh, sorry for interrupting,” he said, turned, and sank out, so quickly that Janus barely had time to process.</p><p>“Roman wait-!” Janus started and got up.</p><p>But Roman had already sunk out. Logan blinked.</p><p>“He forgot his cream cheese again,” he said with a frown.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Snakes and Mahogany</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Janus tests his lung capacity-</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Once again, I have been absolutely BULLDOZED by all your wonderful comments and kudos 😭❤ Thank you so much for reading!! Hope you enjoy the chapter :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“UGGGHHHHH”</p><p>Janus was in Remus’s room again, draped over Remus’s bed with one arm covering his face and the other waving around the octopus plushie.</p><p>“Can you please stop groaning for five seconds and tell me what happened?” Remus asked, which just made Janus groan louder.</p><p>Logan, who had been dragged into Remus’s room by Janus, tapped his chin, “You have impressive lung capacity. When was the last time you took a breath?”</p><p>Janus shot up, “This. This is a nightmare,” he waved the octopus at Remus and told him what had happened. Remus rolled his eyes.</p><p>“Logan was just looking at your scales, it is not as bad as you’re making it.”</p><p>Janus shook his head, “You don’t get it Remus! It completely looked like we were going to kiss!”</p><p>Remus’s fingers twitched at his side, “It looked like you were about to kiss Logan?” he asked and Janus tossed himself back on the bed.</p><p>“Yes. It was awful,” he said.</p><p>“I’m sure,” Remus said, his voice tight, but Janus didn’t notice. He squeezed the octopus to his chest, so tightly that the seams looked like they were about to burst.</p><p>“It was. Can someone please conjure me a coffin so I can bury myself?”</p><p>“No problem,” Remus said and waved his hand. A mahogany coffin with iron maiden spikes on the inside popped into the room. Janus eyed it for a minute.</p><p>“Great. Thank you, Remus. Now please open the cover so that I can crawl inside.”</p><p>Remus began to do so, but Logan held an arm out.</p><p>“Alright that’s enough. I understand that this misunderstanding may upset you if you were interested in pursuing Roman, but,” he took the octopus plushie away from Janus, saving it from bursting in his hands, “isn’t this what you wanted? Roman won’t pursue you if he thinks you’re involved with someone else. Why not leave the situation as is?”</p><p>“NO!” Janus and Remus yelled at the same time and Janus groaned, “I- this is not how I wanted it to go!”</p><p>Logan handed the plushie to Remus and then faced Janus again, “Well. In that case, why don’t I just tell Roman that I have absolutely no romantic interest in you?”</p><p>“I like that plan!” Remus piped up and Janus waved his hands.</p><p>“First, no need to be so harsh Logan. And second, he’ll ask why you’re even telling him in the first place!”</p><p>Logan shrugged, “If he doesn’t care, then it won’t matter either way and,” he put a hand to his chin, “if he does, then it will clear up the misunderstanding.”</p><p>Janus groaned and bunched up Remus’s comforter in his hands. Logan did have a point.</p><p>“Ok,” Janus said with a sigh, “I- if you really think it’ll help, I trust you.”</p><p>Logan blinked.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Janus waved a hand in his direction, “I mean, you’ve been friends with Roman longer, so you probably know how he’ll react. And I’ll go talk to Patton, that’s what you were going to say earlier before I cut you off, right?”</p><p>Logan gaped at him and Janus tilted his head.</p><p>“Logan?”</p><p>Logan startled back a bit and pushed up his glasses, “You think it’s a good plan?”</p><p>Remus laughed, he put his plushie down and put a hand on Logan’s shoulder, “It has to be if you came up with it.”</p><p>Logan looked from Remus to Janus and back to Remus, “I-uh, yes. Ok, I’ll go talk to Roman and I’ll let you know what happens, um,” he fiddled with his tie a little, “bye.”</p><p>Janus stared at the spot where Logan had sunk out for a moment. “That was a little weird,” he muttered and Remus looked up at him and clapped him on the shoulder. He nodded sagely.</p><p>“You are forgiven,” he said in a pompous voice.</p><p>Janus shoved at his arm, though he couldn’t get it to move. Damn these royals and their brute strength, “Forgiven for what exactly?”</p><p>Remus just shook his head and pointed out the entrance to his room.</p><p>“Last I checked, baby blue likes to watch videos in the common room while he eats lunch. Maybe try and catch him then?”</p><p>Janus looked at him and nodded. He got up.</p><p>Time to talk to Patton.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Snakes on Planes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The video they're watching at the end is called 'dog of wisdom' and it's a cinematic masterpiece</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>HAPPY PRIDE Y'ALL!!<br/>You all give me so much love and support so lemme just *pulls out uno reverse card*: you are all VALID and AMAZING and worthy of LOVE 😤💜😤<br/>Hope you enjoy the chapter ;)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Just like Remus had said, Patton was sitting in the common room a little after noon and chewing on a sandwich while watching YouTube videos of dogs eating food next to a microphone.</p><p>“Hello Patton,” Janus said and Patton jumped. He turned around, wide eyed, and then relaxed his posture a bit upon seeing Janus.</p><p>“Oh, hey kidd-eh-Janus.”</p><p>Janus nodded at the TV, not willing to jump into <em>hey Patton, I’m kind of maybe falling really hard for the friend that you just had a massive fight with, can you help me get rid of these feelings forever</em>?</p><p> “What are you watching?” he settled on asking.</p><p>Patton smiled and patted the spot next to him and Janus sat down.</p><p>“It’s like ASMR but with puppies! The dog chews the food near the mic and sometimes the owner writes cute little captions next to them!”</p><p>Janus hummed, “Do ASMR videos help you relax?”</p><p>Patton blinked and then looked at the floor.</p><p>“Ah. Maybe a little? I, uh. I actually used to watch these with Virgil a lot,” he toyed at a stray string on the couch.</p><p>“Well where’s Virgil now?” he asked and Patton grimaced slightly and shrugged. He was silent for a beat before noticing Janus staring.</p><p>“Ah well,” he beamed widely, the smile a little too tight, “the puppies are still really cute and ooh look, so fluffy!”</p><p>Janus winced. No wonder this guy had a whole island to himself. He looked around. Before when he would come into the common room (which was a rare occurrence in itself), he would seldom ever see Patton alone. Roman would be listening to music as he baked, Logan would be reading a book while he made breakfast, or Virgil and him would be on the couch watching TV.</p><p>Now? Patton was alone.</p><p>Janus shook his head. His issue could wait.</p><p>“What’s wrong, Patton?” he asked, figuring the direct route the best route. Patton looked at him in surprise and then glanced back at the TV.</p><p>“What’s wrong is that they’re not giving this poor floofball more food!” he said and Janus let out a long, dramatic sigh.</p><p>“Patton, please. I literally had to fight the embodiment of your repression.”</p><p>Patton held the smile for a moment longer before shivering and turning away, “Yeah, uh. Sorry about that.”</p><p>Janus waved off the apology, “Don’t be, it’s not something you could have controlled. But tell me, why are you sitting alone in the common room, watching a video you only have a slight interest in?”</p><p>Patton cringed backwards a little and shrugged.</p><p>“I, well. You know Roman and I aren’t in the best place right now and Logan’s still upset about me ignoring him,” he chuckled wetly, “again.”</p><p>Janus nodded, “Yes, I apologized to Logan earlier.”</p><p>Patton perked up, “You talked to Logan? Did he talk back?”</p><p>Janus furrowed his brows and nodded, “Yes? We were in the kitchen with Roman for breakfast,” Janus’s face reddened a little as he recalled the incident and he waved the thoughts away, “he still seemed a little disheartened, but it was a start.”</p><p>Patton stared at him a little and gave a small smile, “That’s right. You and Roman have made up that’s,” he went back to picking at the couch, “that’s good. And Logan’s talking to you too. I’m glad.”</p><p>He frowned a little and Janus tilted his head and put a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>“Patton?” he asked and Patton flinched back and put his hands up.</p><p>“Not- not that I’m jealous!” he wilted, “Except maybe I am. Just a little bit I,” he rubbed his face hard, “I just keep messing everything up. Even Virgil and I are on rocky ground and I’m here,” he gestured at the TV, “watching these videos in the common room because my room feels so lonely, but it’s not even any different,” he sniffed, “isn’t that pathetic?”</p><p>Janus shook his head, “It’s not.”</p><p>Patton rolled his eyes, an almost foreign expression on the other side and Janus took off his glove and looked Patton in the eyes.</p><p>“It’s not,” he repeated and Patton’s eyes widened, “Patton, a lot has happened. Mistakes made on all sides and issues that can’t be resolved by just one conversation, but,” he smiled, folding his hands on his lap and looking forwards, “they don’t just have to be one conversation. It may seem hopeless now, but like I said, as long as you’re genuinely willing to talk through whatever it is you’re feeling and change, then the others will come around.”</p><p>Patton sniffed again and wiped at his face, “You really think so?”</p><p>Janus nodded and put his glove back on, “Just give yourself a chance,” he turned back to the TV, “I enjoy ASMR, so these videos are actually quite nice.”</p><p>Patton blinked at him before giving him a small smile and turning the volume up a little more. Somehow, after watching dozens of dog ASMR videos, they found themselves watching two cartoon dogs on an airplane yell gibberish to each other and Patton broke out into giggles.</p><p>Janus was just about to comment on the cinematic mastery that the present age has given them when he jumped. Someone had touched his shoulder and Janus whipped back to see Logan giving him a small wave.</p><p>“Logan?” Patton asked, his voice small and Logan gave him a brief glance before looking back at Janus.</p><p>“I did what you asked, could you come with me please?” Logan asked and tugged Janus to his feet.</p><p>“Oh, uh sure, um,” he turned around as Logan led him out of the room, “bye Patton.”</p><p>Patton gave him a small wave and, when they were out of sight, Janus turned to Logan. He opened his mouth, but Logan started talking.</p><p>“I talked to Roman, I told him about this morning and he seemed fine about it, though strangely relieved. Interpret that how you wish. He’s in the Imagination now if you want to talk to him and sort out whatever it is you would like to sort out.”</p><p>Janus hummed a thank you and they walked together since Logan’s room was in the same direction. Janus tapped Logan’s arm softly.</p><p>“You know, you should really give him a chance,” Janus said.</p><p>Logan looked at him and then trained his eyes forwards, “I don’t know what you’re referring to.”</p><p>“You can’t lie to me, Logan.”</p><p>Logan didn’t reply for a while. They walked in silence, their footfalls falling into sync as they padded softly in the hallway. Finally, Logan let out a sigh.</p><p>“I’ve given him a lot of chances Dec-uh, Janus. He’ll apologize, he’ll say I’m worth something, but the very next day he’ll be back to ignoring me when I try to tell him something that doesn’t agree with him.”</p><p>Janus wanted to interject, to apologize again for the stunt he pulled with the skip button, but this was the most Janus had heard Logan talk about his own feelings so he stayed silent.</p><p>“I just,” Logan looked at his hands, “I like it when people listen to me. Not just when they need to, but because they want to. When they share my interests or even rant about their own.”</p><p>“Like Remus does?”</p><p>Logan nodded, “Yes, exactly, like Remus doe-”</p><p>Logan blinked and cut himself off. Janus poked him.</p><p>“Uh. Logan?”</p><p>Logan jumped back a bit and Janus noticed his face reddening, “What? No! Wha- oh look the Imagination!” he grabbed Janus’s shoulders and pushed him towards the door, “I’m sure you’ll find Roman in there, good luck! Bye!”</p><p>Janus was shoved through the door and he grumbled at the manhandling. Was every side just stronger than him?</p><p> Janus rolled his eyes and entered the Imagination.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Snakes and Stars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Janus forgets how to speak several times-</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey hey hey guys, gals, and nonbinary pals :)<br/>Just the author here to say THANK YOU so much for reading and for all your lovely comments/ kudos &lt;3 I hope that wherever you are, whether in quarantine or at the protests here in the US, you're staying safe :')</p><p>Hope you enjoy the chapter! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>One week ago, Janus had entered the Imagination with no small amount of trepidation. Roman had all but disappeared from the mindscape, locking himself in the Imagination after the wedding. Worried about how the creative side’s reclusion would affect Thomas’s work, he sought him out and found him standing in a graveyard of tree trunks, cut up and sweating, wielding his sword as if it were the only thing that was real. That day, the imagination seemed to mirror Roman. It had been dark and the air was buzzing, vibrating with a foreign energy.</p><p>Today, the imagination might as well have been a completely different place.</p><p>The sky was still dark, a soft navy blue painted above him. Again, he found Roman near the trees, though this time they stood high and Roman was laying on his back and looking up. His hands were clasped behind his head and his eyes were gently shut, the lashes fluttering against his cheeks.</p><p>The trees were different from the ones that Janus had seen the week before. They blocked out the sky and glittered with blinking orange and yellow lights, not like any tree that really existed.</p><p>“Do you recognize them?”</p><p>Janus jumped. Roman hadn’t moved, but his eyes were open, the serene expression ever present.</p><p>Janus padded over and sat down next to Roman. He looked up and the trees’ lights blinked back at him, twinkling like stars.</p><p>“The forest of the mushroom people,” Janus breathed out and Roman nodded.</p><p>“There were some awful things in the subconscious but,” Roman smiled, so gently that Janus had to remind himself that breathing was an important thing to do, “there were some beautiful things too.”</p><p><em>I can think of a few beautiful things. Or maybe just one specific beautiful thing</em> Janus thought, but kept it to himself. Roman stretched.</p><p>“Ugh, not that the awful things aren’t still ripe in my memory. Remus has had me recreate a few of them for his side of the imagination. I’m still sore from running around with him,” he let out a laugh, “and Logan. Those two are disturbingly interested in the subconscious.”</p><p>Janus smiled. Roman’s expression looked so relaxed. Roman turned to Janus and Janus could tell he was holding back an eyebrow raise.</p><p>“He came in earlier to tell me about your scales, said that he ‘confirmed his hypothesis.’”</p><p>Janus snorted, “Yes well, his hypothesis testing is not going to do wonders for my skin,” he rubbed his face, “these damn things are sensitive you know, but I know better than to get between Logan and his experiments.”</p><p>Roman laughed. A hearty one, one that Janus used to think was so pompous and so nauseatingly <em>Disney</em>. But now, Janus couldn’t help but feel his heart skip at how free the sound was. What had he been so worried about? Roman understood Logan, the misunderstanding was easily cleared up, he probably didn’t even think about a different possibility for why Logan and Janus had been so close earlier.</p><p>His heart tugged at that thought. Janus frowned and had to hold in an eye roll at himself.</p><p><em>Am I seriously getting upset about Roman not getting jealous? I really need to get a grip</em>.</p><p>“Janus?”</p><p>Janus snapped back to attention. Roman was sitting up and looking at him with furrowed brows. Janus shook the thoughts out of his head.</p><p>“Logan freak you out that much?” Roman asked with a small smile and Janus rolled his eyes.</p><p>“Honestly, almost as scary as the Mist monster, I swear,” he said with a sarcastic chuckle and looked up, expecting Roman to be smiling with him.</p><p>He wasn’t.</p><p>“Nothing will ever be scarier than that,” Roman said softly, the gentle expression erased and replaced with tense shoulders and a small wrinkle near his eyebrow.</p><p>Janus blinked, “Sorry, I- that was insensitive. The Mist was actually, genuinely scary.”</p><p>Janus shivered. He wasn’t sure how it had looked like to Roman, but after the searing pain of having that <em>thing</em> fly into his head had settled, it had felt like he was drowning, desperately clawing at reality and only being able to helplessly watch as his body moved without him wanting it to. Only the fear of possibly hurting Roman had given him the second of clarity that had allowed him to stab himself and, consequently, banish the Mist from his body.</p><p>Roman shook his head, “It wasn’t the Mist that scared me,” he said quietly and turned to Janus, “Remember how I said I was listening to Logan more about his science facts?”</p><p>Janus gulped and nodded, the look on Roman’s face was unreadable.</p><p>“Did you know that the human body has around 4 to 6 liters pints of blood?” He asked, his voice just above a whisper, “And if it loses more than 3 it can start to fail?”</p><p>“Roman-”</p><p>“That day, there was so much,” Roman leaned forward and Janus held in a breath. Roman put his hand out and traced where Janus had been stabbed, carefully, as if Janus would break with any more pressure.</p><p>“There was so much blood. It was like it would never end and I” he gulped, “I don’t think I’ve ever been more scared in my life.”</p><p>Roman looked up, his face so close that Janus could make out every eyelash. He looked down again.</p><p>“Why did you do something like that for someone like me?”</p><p>Janus blinked for a few moments, trying to get his brain to restart in spite of the very close prince. He took in a breath.</p><p>“I did it <em>because</em> it was you, Roman.”</p><p>Roman only looked confused and Janus sighed, “You’re the kind of person who would have done that for anyone. I’m not. I did it because I know you’re good, even when your confidence wavers, you only want what’s best for everyone. You’re selfless and brave and,” Roman was looking right at him now, his eyes never wavering from his own, bright and flecked with red and gold and how did Janus ever think he could avoid his feelings?</p><p>“Roman, I-”</p><p>“Roman!”</p><p>Janus squeaked and shot back about four feet. A side in a dark purple and black sweatshirt was standing on the inside on the door of the imagination, holding up a piece of paper.</p><p>“Yo, Thomas wants your help with a script and he says he needs you to bounce ideas off of you before going to bed and uh,” he glanced at the scene with a raised eyebrow, “do you, uh, think you can handle it?”</p><p>Roman blinked, a flurry of emotions crossing over his face so fast that Janus couldn’t make out a single one. Roman looked back at Janus and stood up. He gave him a small smile.</p><p>“Yeah. I think I can,” he said, waved, and sunk out.</p><p>Janus stared at the spot where the Prince left and then glared at Virgil whose eyebrow only climbed higher.</p><p>“What?” He asked.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Snakes and Spiders</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Janus tests his lung capacity part 2</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello!!<br/>My PC nearly gave me a heart attack this morning after it deleted my word file of this story. Holy smokes you guys, I was freaking out. Moral of the story is: back up your work or die of high blood pressure 😅<br/>Anyweasel, thank you all so much for reading! Hope you enjoy the chapter :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“<em>Viiirrrrgilllllll"</em></p><p>Virgil groaned and covered his ears with his cat face plushie.</p><p>“This is a nightmare,” Virgil muttered, “this is a nightmare’s nightmare. What did I do to deserve this?”</p><p>Janus groaned dramatically from Virgil’s bed, using his bowler hat to shield his face.</p><p>“Virgil, we were having a <em>moment</em>,” he groaned again.</p><p>“I don’t care if you were having an entire eternity, get out of my room and get off my <em>bed</em>,” Virgil growled, but Janus only groaned louder and eventually, Virgil groaned back until he ran out of breath.</p><p>“My god, you’re annoying,” Virgil said after taking a deep breath in, “What were you two even doing anyways?”</p><p>Janus paused his groaning. He removed the bowler cap from his face and blinked at Virgil before feeling his face heat up and he covered his face again and groaned louder as the full force of what had happened came back to him.</p><p>Roman had been so close! They were both so close! What had happened? What was going to happen? Janus groaned and rolled over to his stomach. Now he’d never know.</p><p>Virgil watched Janus’s reddening face and his eyes widened in realization.</p><p>“Holy crap, you have the hots for Princey,” he said and Janus squeaked and threw a pillow at him.</p><p>“Don’t say it like that Virgil! It sounds so crass!”</p><p>“So you’re not denying it?”</p><p>Janus blushed again and wished he hadn’t thrown the pillow so he could bury his face in it.</p><p>Virgil groaned, “Ugh, not you too. First Remus with his crush and now you? Why is everyone coming to me like I’m some kind of emotional support spider?”</p><p>“Virgilll,” Janus whined again, not really sure what he wanted. Virgil shook his head and tried to shoo him away.</p><p>“Nope. No. Don’t care. We,” he pointed to Janus, “Are not friends, you are not coming to me with your boy troubles,” Virgil swept his hand from Janus to the door, “get out.”</p><p>Janus pouted and crossed his arms in front of him.</p><p>Virgil glared back, “I said get out! Besides, you’re acting freaky and it’s freaking me out!” Virgil said and poised, getting ready to launch the cat plushie at Janus as a serious threat.</p><p>Janus blinked.</p><p>“Acting freaky?”</p><p>“Yes!” Virgil said and waved around the cat plushie, “Ever since getting back from the subconscious, you’ve been acting, like,” he waved around the plushie more and frowned, trying to search for the word, “like, I don’t know! Not…villainy?”</p><p>Janus tried to hold back a wince, “Oh.”</p><p>He wrung his hands a few times and then got up to leave, “Well. I suppose you’re right. We aren’t particularly close, good bye Virgil.”</p><p>Virgil blinked, his eyes darting from the bed to the door before he slumped in his spot.  “Wait,” Virgil said, groaning again. He got up and sat on his bed, “I can’t believe I’m doing this, but,” he patted at the spot next to him, “ugh- what’s up?”</p><p>Janus sat down next to him, trying to formulate his thoughts. In truth, he knew exactly what Virgil was talking about, but he wasn’t too sure how to explain it. Virgil put his cat plushie down and looked at Janus.</p><p>“I,” he started and put a hand to his chin, “the ‘villainy’ personality, as you so eloquently put it, that was,” he picked up the cat and folded its ears, “that was something I did to get Thomas to listen to me. This,” he waved a hand in front of himself, “is because, without having to keep up the villain act? With Thomas finally listening to me for the first time without me having to disguise myself? I don’t know,” he gave a little shrug, “I guess it’s me.”</p><p>It had first started when he and Roman had been sucked into the subconscious. At first, his instincts took over and his persona was flung off. He tried to reach back for it, like a safety blanket, but the longer he kept it off, the more Roman seemed to open up to him. At first, it had started at the Desert Island, where Roman disregarded him completely. Then, at Patton Land, where he accepted Janus’s words, despite not believing them. And finally, at the border between the consciousness and the subconscious, where Janus’s words flung the shadows off of Roman and they both returned home together.</p><p>And when he came back? Janus wasn’t sure he ever liked being treated as the villain, even if he did it to himself. He was still calculating and sarcastic, sure. But dammit, he wasn’t evil. At least, he didn’t think he was.</p><p>Virgil hadn’t said anything and Janus looked up to see him playing with the strings of his hoodie. Finally he let out a sigh, “I. I think I kind of get that,” he said and put his hands in his lap, “When Thomas and the others accepted me, it was kind of a weird transition. I wasn’t a villain anymore but,” he stretched and laid down on his bed, “I kind of didn’t know how to act?”</p><p>Janus stretched out on the bed with him.</p><p>“It was like,” Virgil waved his hand up above him, “I didn’t want to do anything to bring the group down, but I also still wanted to give my perspective. I thought my entire personality would just be antagonistic.”</p><p>“What did you do?” Janus asked and Virgil put his hand down. He turned to his side and looked at Janus.</p><p>“Well, eventually they accepted me as me, but,” he cringed a little, “sometimes they don’t take my warnings through my dark personality seriously because of it.”</p><p>“And by ‘they’, you mean Patton?”</p><p>Virgil squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. Janus turned to face him.</p><p>“You should talk to him, Virgil.”</p><p>Virgil sighed, returning to lying flat on his back, “I know. I know, but I’m not sure what to even say,” he looked off in the distance for a minute before shaking his head, “Ugh, ok. You let me talk, now it’s your turn. Tell me,” he pretended to gag a little, “tell me about how you’re planning to sweep Roman off his feet.”</p><p>Janus lit up and laughed, “Well, actually, it’s quite the opposite. I’m trying to forget about my crush on Roman.”</p><p>Virgil’s eyebrows quirked up a little and he put a hand on his chin, “I guess that makes sense because-”</p><p>“Of everything that’s been going on with the wedding.” Janus finished.</p><p>“-You broke his heart already,” Virgil said at the same time.</p><p>Janus’s eyes widened and he looked at Virgil, “I <em>WHAT?!”</em> he screeched and bolted up, “What- what did you mean by that??”</p><p>Virgil sat up too, startled by the other side’s sudden mood change, “I-what- what did you mean by the stuff with the wedding? I thought you two already made up.”</p><p>Janus got up and paced the room, “I mean, we did, but it seemed too soon since,” he shook his head several times, “no, that doesn’t- what did you mean <em>broke</em> his heart?”</p><p>Virgil put his hood up, “Uh. Oh no. You really didn’t-” he gulped, “You should go.”</p><p>“Virgil!”</p><p>“It’s not my place!” Virgil yelled back, but the look on Janus’s face must have been a sight because Virgil put his hands up, “Don’t- don’t look at me like that,” he muttered.</p><p>“Virgil <em>please</em>,” Janus begged, “what did you mean by that?”</p><p>Virgil shifted uncomfortably and darted his eyes around the room. He looked at Janus’s face again and sighed, “I-ok. I’ll tell you, but <em>only</em> because I can tell that you’re trying to change,” he took a deep breath in.</p><p>“Ok, so ‘broke his heart’ may have been a bit dramatic, but Roman definitely used to have a crush on you.”</p><p>Janus tried to remind his heart that it was supposed to stay in his chest and not jump to his throat.</p><p>“What?” he managed to squeak and Virgil snorted and rolled his eyes.</p><p>“Seriously? You never noticed?” he grabbed Janus’s shoulders and made him sit back down on the bed, “The endless flirting? The compliments? You think Roman is the type of guy who can hear that and <em>not</em> catch feelings?”</p><p>“But that was-!”</p><p>“Not genuine,” Virgil finished for him and Janus’s eyes widened in horror when he realized where this was going, “But Roman didn’t know that. He’s an actor, you know. And the better the liar, the better the actor, so he really used to admire you.”</p><p>Janus gulped. <em>‘Used to.’</em></p><p>“But-uh, after the courtroom, I guess he realized that you were using him. That all the flirts and compliments were fake,” Virgil’s eyes narrowed, “he was crushed.”</p><p>Virgil’s shoulders were tense, his stare burning a hole in Janus’s chest.</p><p>Was that why Roman had always been so reluctant to listen to him when he told him he was amazing? Or why he got so mad at first when Janus tried to compliment him in the subconscious?</p><p>“I didn’t know, I never wanted to hurt him,” Janus said and Virgil’s eyes softened slightly.</p><p>“That doesn’t mean you didn’t.”</p><p>Janus tried to swallow past a lump in his throat, maybe his heart was still stuck there.</p><p>Janus let out a small laugh, “This, this doesn’t change anything,” he looked at Virgil who tilted his head, “I, this just reinforces that I need to get rid of these feelings.”</p><p>“Whoa there,” Virgil said and put a hand on Janus’s shoulder, “I thought you were trying to forget about your crush because you thought Roman didn’t like you?”</p><p>Janus shook his head, “Well <em>of course</em> he won’t like me, but that’s not the point! I-” he got up and started pacing again, “I hurt him! Without even knowing it, I,” he clutched at his chest and Virgil sat up and dragged Janus back to the bed.</p><p>“Hey, it’s ok. You’re trying to change. Maybe just tell him how you feel and-”</p><p>“NO,” Janus yelled and pushed Virgil off, “I can’t do that to him! How could I when I hurt him like that?”</p><p>“You’re trying to change!” Virgil repeated.</p><p>“He shouldn’t have someone who’s changing when he could have someone <em>different</em>!” Janus put his head in his hands, “Roman is good. He deserves someone <em>good</em> and I’m what,” he looked up briefly, “morally neutral at best?”</p><p>Janus could feel himself shaking a little and he dug his nails into his arms. He had been talking about getting rid of his feelings since he recognized them, but it wasn’t until now that he realized he hadn’t been <em>serious</em>. Now? He knew he had to, he knew it and it <em>hurt</em>.</p><p>Virgil gently pried away Janus’s fingers, “Hey, let’s not do that. You-”</p><p>“I should go,” Janus said and stood up abruptly. Virgil stood with him.</p><p>“No, wait, you,”</p><p>“Goodbye Virgil,” Janus said and began to exit.</p><p>“Wait!” Virgil said, “Wait, Janus!” he said again and grabbed his hand before he could sink out.</p><p>Janus stopped and stared at him. Virgil opened his mouth. Shut it, and opened it again.</p><p>“Just. You’re not a villain, ok? Remember that.”</p><p>Janus tried to smile back.</p><p>“Yeah. Ok,” he said and the lie burnt itself on his tongue.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Snakes and Masks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Janus argues with himself...a lot<br/>Notes: descriptions of nightmares, descriptions of blood/ injury</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is a little late to say, but the second half of Remus's playlist is a serious bop you guys~<br/>Anyways, thank you so much for reading! Your comments and kudos fuel me and I really hope you enjoy the chapter :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Janus smiled.</p><p>He and Roman were sitting on a tree stump, watching as Logan and Remus attempted to tame the Lizard monster.</p><p>“Good giant Lizard. Sit giant Lizard,” said Remus and the Lizard followed his instructions.</p><p>Logan ticked off something on a clipboard he had been toting around, “I see he responds well to that. Perhaps his name is giant Lizard?”</p><p>“No,” said Remus, “His name is Erwin.”</p><p>“How could you possibly know that?”</p><p>Remus nuzzled the monster. It crooned back and went on its belly and Remus rubbed it.</p><p>“I just do,” he retorted.</p><p>From beside Janus, Roman snorted. Elena the mushroom lady served them a drink and Janus took a sip of it. He grimaced.</p><p>“Uh, Elena, I think your milk might be sour or something,” he said and looked down at his cup, but was surprised to see no liquid in it. There was only-</p><p>Mist.</p><p>Janus gasped and threw the cup away from him. Roman looked at him and frowned.</p><p>“What’s the matter, Deceit?” he asked and Janus turned around.</p><p>“There, in the cup there was,” he frowned, “wait, what did you call me?”</p><p>Roman titled his head, continuing until his head bumped against his shoulder and he smiled, “Your name?”</p><p>“That’s not-” Janus jumped back, “Roman!” he pointed to the Prince’s stomach, “Roman, oh god you’re bleeding!”</p><p>Roman looked towards the sudden appearance of a gash in his stomach.</p><p>And then proceeded to stick his entire hand inside.</p><p>Janus gagged and fell backwards off the stump. The ground had changed and he was back in the chamber that led to the consciousness.</p><p>“Why do you look so surprised, Deceit?” asked Roman, blood pouring out of his mouth with each word, “you did this.”</p><p>Roman moved his hand around, the sickening squelching filling Janus’s ears. Roman looked up again, the smile replaced by a wide, open-mouthed frown. Sticky lines of blood stretched from his tongue to the roof of his mouth and his eyes turned black, “Why did you do this to me?” he asked and reached towards Janus.</p><p>“No, I-I, I’m sorry, I”</p><p>Behind Roman, a dark mass appeared and one, large, eyeball rolled into focus in the center of it. Its veins crawled around and the nerve lashed forwards and backwards, entangling Roman.</p><p>“No don’t!” Janus reached towards Roman, “<em>DON’T”</em></p><p>The eye split in the middle, revealing pointed teeth, “You did this,” it said with a smile, lifted Roman up, and ate him whole.</p><p>“<em>NOOOOO!”</em></p><p> </p><p>Janus shot up in his bed with a gasp, his shirt covered in sweat.</p><p>He put a hand on his heart, counting slowly in and out.</p><p><em>Just a dream. Just a dream.</em> He repeated to himself.</p><p>
  <em>The Mist, the mist, it clawed its way into his eyes and he couldn’t see, he couldn’t move, he could only feel burning, ripping, blades pressed into all sides of his head.</em>
</p><p>He got up to change his shirt, but his legs buckled and he fell backwards onto his bed.</p><p>
  <em>Just. Just a dream.</em>
</p><p>Janus took a deep breath in, steadied his footing, and clapped his hands. The lights flickered on and Janus walked towards his drawer set, pulled a fresh shirt out and yanked it on.</p><p>
  <em>Just a dream. Just a dream.</em>
</p><p>Janus sat cross-legged on his bed and put his head in his hands. He really should go back to bed, but he couldn’t bring himself to turn the lights back off. He closed his eyes and tried to take in the silence. There was nothing here. It was just a-</p><p>A soft knocking at the door had Janus jump up and nearly topple off his bed.</p><p>He grabbed his chest again and blinked hard. His clock read 3 AM, who the heck could that be?</p><p>“Come,” Janus stopped and cleared his throat, “Come in,” he said, but his voice stayed at an almost silent volume. The soft knocking continued and Janus felt himself get a little annoyed. <em>Either come in or leave</em>, he got up, walked towards the door, and felt himself get more and more annoyed with each step <em>stop with the damn knocking!</em></p><p>Janus flung the door open, fully prepared to tell whoever it was to piss off, when he saw who it was.</p><p>Roman was standing there, breathing hard. His hair tousled messily (yet still somehow stylishly? Dammit, focus Janus. Not the time) and, when he locked eyes with Janus, he looked like he would melt.</p><p>“Roman?” Janus asked softly, and Roman looked up.</p><p>“Uh,” he started and coughed, “I saw your light was on and I kind of,” he coughed again and rubbed the back of his neck, “Sorry, this was stupid, have a good night,” he said and turned to leave.</p><p>And Janus could have watched him leave. Probably should have, but the look on the other’s face didn’t let him.</p><p>Janus grabbed Roman’s hand.</p><p>“Nightmare?” he asked. It was a guess, but apparently a good one because Roman turned around slowly and pulled at the edge of his shirt. He nodded.</p><p>Janus caught Roman’s eye, “Do you want to talk about it?”</p><p>Roman’s face flicked through a few expressions, “You,” he croaked and started again, “I saw you,” he glanced at Janus’s stomach and shivered, “Uh. Actually, no. If that’s ok. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have bothered you.”</p><p>Janus shook his head, “You’re no bother Roman,” <em>tell him to go. Tell him to leave. You can’t do this to him</em>, “Do you want to come inside?” he asked.</p><p>
  <em>No! Bad snake! Bad, bad snake!</em>
</p><p>Roman glanced at where Janus was still holding his hand and then back at Janus. He gave a small nod. Janus pulled him inside, past his bed and towards the bathroom.</p><p>“Uh. Janus?” Roman asked and Janus felt his shoulders drop a little when he heard Roman say his name.</p><p>Janus smiled back at him, “Do you want to know what I like to do when I need cheering up?” he asked.</p><p>
  <em>What are you doing? You’re supposed to be pushing him away!</em>
</p><p>Roman gave him a strange look before letting Janus lead him into the bathroom.</p><p>“Whoa,” Roman said.</p><p>Janus let himself bask in that a little as he looked into his bathroom. On the outside, it looked like every other sides’, but on the inside?</p><p>It wasn’t so much a bathroom as a bath <em>palace.</em></p><p>Gold and white tiles covered the floor, leading up to an in-ground tub that took up most of the left corner. The back wall was lined with a glass shower chamber that had shower heads on the top, right, and left. In front of the shower, a mirror spanned the entirety of the wall with a fountain-style sink on top of white marble.</p><p>“This is insane,” Roman whispered as he wandered into the room. He walked straight towards Janus’s favorite part, the wall next to the tub had a wooden rack filled with every self-care product one could ever want. Soaps, face masks, bath bombs, scrubs, brushes all lined it in different colors, shapes, and scents.</p><p>“Is this why your skin is so nice?” Roman said in awe and Janus tried to keep himself from turning red.</p><p>“One of my main functions <em>is</em> self-preservation,” he said, trying not to preen, “this shouldn’t be too surprising.”</p><p>Janus walked over and grabbed two stools. He set them in front of the mirror and went to Roman.</p><p>“Pick out a face mask,” he said and had to hold himself back from falling into the tub when Roman beamed at him.</p><p>“Really?!” he asked, the excitement clear in his eyes. Janus didn’t trust himself to speak, he only nodded. Janus went back to the stools and waited for Roman to come back. When he did, Janus looked down at what he picked. He shook his head.</p><p>“Those are both fine, but I’m not sure if you should do two of them in a row,” Janus said.</p><p>Roman shook his head, “One of them is for you,” he set the masks on the sink counter, “you… had a nightmare too, didn’t you?”</p><p>Janus blinked. How did Roman-?<br/>“Your hands are still trembling a little,” Roman said, as if reading Janus’s mind, “Do you want to talk about it?”</p><p>Janus took in a breath as he remembered the blood, the eye, the darkness, the teeth.</p><p>He shivered and shook his head. Roman gave him a sad smile and sat down across from him. Janus picked up one of the two face masks and read the ingredients.</p><p>“This one will probably work best for you,” he said, grabbing a small stone bowl on the kitchen sink and pouring the contents of the mask into it, “close your eyes and I’ll put it on for you.”</p><p>Roman’s eyebrows shot up, “For me?” he asked and Janus nodded, not understanding the look on Roman’s face.</p><p>“Yes, it can be a bit difficult to spread the mask by yourself, it’s easier this way.”</p><p>“Oh,” Roman said, “Ok.”</p><p>Roman hesitated for a moment longer before closing his eyes. Janus dipped his fingers into the mask solution, it was cool and the golden shimmer caught the light of the room’s lights. Janus leaned in and started spreading it on Roman’s face, starting with the cheeks and working his way to the forehead and jaw.</p><p>Roman squirmed a little and tugged at his t-shirt.</p><p>“Stop moving,” Janus said quietly and Roman stilled. Janus finished and instructed Roman to wait for ten minutes. He grabbed a towel and filled another stone bowl with warm water in preparation to wipe the mask off. In the meantime, Janus glanced at words on Roman’s shirt. It had a cartoon pirate dancing on it while sticking out his hips.</p><p>“Arr, my booty is the best treasure on the seven seas?” Janus read, “Interesting sleep attire choice.”</p><p>Roman tried to groan without moving, “It’s my brother’s. He borrows my clothes sometimes. He left this in my room and,” Roman winced,  but still didn’t open his eyes, “I was kind of in a hurry so I just grabbed whatever shirt was near my hand and left my room.”</p><p>Janus didn’t want to think about Roman being so distressed that he would fling himself off his bed and run out of his room. Instead, his mind focused on a key detail.</p><p>“You sleep without a shirt on?”</p><p>Roman shrugged, “It gets warm.”</p><p>Janus was glad Roman’s eyes were closed as he tried to calm down the sudden blush that lit up his face.</p><p>“How about you?” Roman asked, “You’re just wearing a plain T. Where uh, where are the rest of your arms?”</p><p>Janus blinked and looked down at his very normal black T with two very normal arm holes.</p><p>He burst into laughter.</p><p>“Whaaaat?” Roman asked, his pout cracking the mask a bit.</p><p>“It’s just,” Janus started, but couldn’t stop. It was such a reasonable question, and Roman asked so innocently that it was honestly a little hilarious. Roman’s eyes were still closed, but his pout had turned into a smile.</p><p>“They’re still there, just tucked away like when I imitate other sides. They kind of get in the way when I’m sleeping,” Janus explained after finally calming down.</p><p>After fanning Roman’s face for a few minutes, Janus took the towel, dipped it in the warm water, and began to wipe the mask off of Roman’s face (<em>don’t think about how perfectly arched his eyebrows are. Don’t think about how you can definitely cut your fingers on his jawline)</em>. When he was done, Roman stood up and inspected his face in the mirror. His eyes scrunching happily as he exclaimed how smooth his skin felt. He turned to Janus.</p><p>“Alright! Your turn!” he said and grabbed the second mask, cocking his head slightly as he read the instructions. Janus furrowed his brows.</p><p>“My turn? I do this quite a bit Roman, I’m perfectly capable of putting it on myself.”</p><p>Roman shook his head and began to empty the contents of the mask package into a bowl, “Nope. You did mine so now I get to do yours. It’s only fair.”</p><p>Janus squirmed a little and touched his scales. Roman’s eyes softened.</p><p>“I promise I’ll be gentle,” he said.</p><p>
  <em>Tell him no!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>What is he still doing in your room?!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>How in the hell is this pushing down your feelings??</em>
</p><p>“Ok,” Janus said, ignoring his screaming thoughts, but the smile on Roman’s face was worth it. He hummed a little as he mixed the ingredients.</p><p>“This one says not to get near the eye area,” Roman said and dipped his finger into the light pink concoction, “so I guess you can keep your eyes open.”</p><p>He leaned forwards, starting on Janus’s human side. At first, he only took a pea sized amount and brushed it over his forehead, so lightly that most of it stayed on Roman’s finger. Janus snorted.</p><p>“You have to get a little more on there, otherwise it’ll be a hand mask.”</p><p>“Oh,” Roman said, taking more out of the bowl and sticking his tongue out a little as he concentrated on spreading the mask.</p><p>
  <em>Cute.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>No! Stop that! Not cute! Bad snake!</em>
</p><p>Roman finished the human side of Janus’s face, then looked at Janus as if asking permission. Janus played with the edge of the soaking towel and gave him a slight nod. Roman moved to put the mask on the other side, his fingers just barely touching the first scale when Janus flinched back.</p><p>“Sorry!” Roman said and moved his hand away immediately. Janus shook his head, trying to calm his racing heart.</p><p>“No! No, it wasn’t you. I just need to brace myself,” he said and took a deep breath, “Ok. I’m ready.”</p><p>Roman furrowed his brows a bit. He cupped the human side of Janus’s face with one hand.</p><p>“To keep myself steady,” Roman explained when Janus gave him a questioning look and Janus was glad there was a layer of pink on his face or the blush would have been embarrassingly visible. And possibly the same shade.</p><p>Roman raised his hand again and started to gently apply the mixture. Janus’s scales were still sensitive, but it was different from when Logan had been poking at them. Then, Janus had wanted Logan to stop. The touch was too much, it made his skin buzz. Now, his skin was still buzzing.</p><p>But Janus didn’t want Roman to stop.</p><p>“They really are soft,” Roman observed as he finished the mask and looked at Janus. He didn’t remove his other hand from Janus’s face.</p><p>“Janus?” Roman asked, and Janus could only hear him because he was so close.</p><p>Janus hummed in question. If he tried to talk now, there was no way a coherent sound would form.</p><p>“Thank you. For this, it,” the corners of Roman’s lip curved up softly, “it really helped.”</p><p>
  <em>Oh no.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Don’t look at me like that.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Please don’t look at me like that.</em>
</p><p>Janus squeezed the towel in his hands and Roman set to work on soaking another towel in warm water.</p><p>“And also,” Roman said after a few minutes. He wrung out the towel and set to work on wiping off Janus’s mask, “When we were in the subconscious, thank you. For believing in me, even when I pushed you away, even,” Roman finished wiping the mask off, but he didn’t move his hand away from Janus’s face, “when I didn’t think I was worth believing in,” Roman took a deep breath, “Janus, I-”</p><p>Janus frowned, a sudden tug had abruptly interrupted. Roman stopped himself.</p><p>“Janus?”</p><p>“I,” Janus started, a string of curse words playing in his head, “I think someone’s calling me.”</p><p>
  <em>Ignore it!</em>
</p><p>“Ignore it,” Roman muttered, his voice low and gravelly and oh. Janus may not be good at listening to himself, but there was no way he wasn’t going to refuse <em>that</em> voice.</p><p>“Janus, I-” Roman started again, but Janus couldn’t catch the rest of what he said. He yelped as the room spun around him and he was dragged and summoned into the common room.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Snakes and Shivers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Roman forgets most of the events from the first book because self-doubt is a bitch</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Y'all, when I tell you my inbox blew UP yesterday O.O<br/>THANK YOU so much for all your support!!! Your comments and kudos absolutely light up my life :')<br/>Hope you enjoy the chapter ;) I have no excuse other than: they're dramatic, let them be dramatic</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Janus landed on the carpet, the remnants of the pink face mask smearing a little on the fuzz. Janus shot up like a bullet and glared at the figure in front of him.</p><p>“Remy,” he said through gritted teeth and Remy gave him a wave.</p><p>“Hey girl hey,” he said and Janus nearly threw the towel that was still in his hands at him. Instead, he marched over to where Remy was standing.</p><p>“This. Had better be. The most important thing in your <em>life</em>,” Janus said.</p><p>Remy shrugged, “It’s pretty important babe.”</p><p>“Important enough to happen at nearly 4 in the morning?” Janus whisper-screeched, keeping his voice down but wanting to scream.</p><p>“I can only come to the consciousness when I’m summoned or when Thomas is asleep so,” he shrugged, “yes? Also, I knew you weren’t sleeping which girl,” Remy slurped his ever present drink, “not a healthy choice,” he slurped again and looked up for a second, “oh and Roman isn’t sleeping either-wait,” he held his straw between his teeth and grinned, “were you two together?”</p><p>Janus didn’t even have to say anything. The blush on his face was enough.</p><p>“Oh damn girl. I really am sorry, but,” Remy set his drink down and crossed his hands in front of himself, “this actually is kind of important.”</p><p>Janus’s eyes flicked to the drink and back to Remy. He sighed and wiped at his face with the towel, gesturing for Remy to continue.</p><p>“Ok, well, you remember the shadow monster you told me about? The one that nearly dragged Roman into the void forever?”</p><p>“Not exactly easy to forget, Remy.”</p><p>Remy waved a hand in his direction, “Yeah, well. I’ve been looking around the past week, making sure that that thing is really <em>gone</em>.”</p><p>Janus’s eyes widened at that, he summoned his gloves and put them on, the cloth giving him some comfort, “What? Why wouldn’t it be gone? I saw it disappear.”</p><p>Remy leaned back “Yeah, I just wanted to make sure, you know? Once something enters the subconscious, it’s difficult to have it disappear completely. Plus, it’s easier for something to leave the subconscious than it is to enter it.”</p><p>“<em>Easy</em>?” Janus screeched as he remembered the multiple monsters, injuries, and running (so. So much running) they faced in order to escape the subconscious.</p><p>“Well,” Remy said, having the decency to look a little sheepish, “You two didn’t belong there, but it’s not an awful place if you do.”</p><p>Janus raised an eyebrow, “I’ll try to keep that in mind when I never visit ever again. So,” Janus prodded, “the shadow?”</p><p>“Right,” Remy said, he grabbed his drink again and stirred it a little, “like I said, I’ve been checking to make sure it’s gone, and for the most part it was. But, when Remus summoned me earlier, I thought I felt something strange. It didn’t hit me until I went back and thought on it. I think,” he stopped stirring and looked at Janus, “I think a part of it is here.”</p><p>Janus shivered, remembering the bony hands, how they snaked around Roman and dragged him backwards. How they sobbed and screamed despite having no mouths.</p><p>“Where?” he asked.</p><p>Remy gave a little shrug, “I’m not sure, but I just thought I would warn you. Now that I’m here though,” he wiggled his eyebrows a little, “Want to tell me what’s going on with you and Prince Charming?”</p><p>Janus’s blush was back and he played with the drawstring on his yellow and black plaid pajama pants. What had happened? They had been so close. Again, the second time today. And Roman’s voice.</p><p>“<em>Ignore it,”</em></p><p>Janus shivered again. This time for an entirely different reason. But no, he couldn’t-he couldn’t think like this! What about his conversation with Virgil? It was like as soon as he saw Roman, all his sense flew out the window. Janus groaned and flopped down on the couch. He put an arm over his face.</p><p>“Maybe it’s a good thing you called me,” Janus said and Remy frowned at that.</p><p>“You’re still on that ‘ignore my crush on Prince hottie’ ?” Remy asked and Janus nodded.</p><p>“It’s. It’s more than that now, I…realized something. More than it being bad timing, I,” Janus sighed and looked down, “I’m not good enough for him. I never will be.”</p><p>“What kind bullsh-”</p><p>“It’s true!” Janus yelled before getting up and pacing, “I- I hurt him, Remy! And what, I was almost completely useless when we were trying to escape the subconscious and I <em>know</em> what I have to do is just avoid him or push him away or something, but,”</p><p>He heard a noise from behind him, but ignored it.</p><p>Janus put his head in his hands and continued pacing, “Every time I see Roman, I just can’t! It’s so annoying!”</p><p>“Uh. Babe,”</p><p>“It’s like a thorn in my side except it’s more like a 6 inch knife because I can’t ignore it ever! He’s always there!”</p><p>“Janus-”</p><p>“I wish I can just forget about him! Or avoid him! But I can’t and it’s <em>so</em> baaaaad,” Janus finished, dragging out the last word until he didn’t have any air left in his lungs. He looked up at Remy who had his sunglasses off and was squeezing his eyes shut while rubbing the bridge of his nose.</p><p>“What?” Janus asked and Remy just shook his head and pointed behind him. Janus turned and sucked in a breath.</p><p>Roman was standing there. His eyes wide and oh god how much of that did he hear?</p><p>“I,” Roman started, “You left so suddenly, I was worried that,” he gulped and squeezed his eyes shut, his shoulders shaking slightly. He turned to leave and Janus lurched forwards.</p><p>“Wait Roman, I-!”</p><p>Roman whipped around, his eyes glittering in a way that would have been pretty if it didn’t make Janus want to turn himself into snakeskin boots.</p><p>“I, I can’t <em>believe</em> I did this to myself again,” Roman said and wiped at his face forcefully, “I’m so <em>stupid</em>.”</p><p>“You’re not-” Janus tried again but Roman put his hands to his ears.</p><p>“Shut <em>UP</em>. No more lies! No more, no,” Roman drew in a shaky breath, “was any of it real?” he asked and marched up to Janus, “Anything? Anything you said? Or did?”</p><p>Janus wanted to say something, he really did, but the lump in his throat was too big to swallow past. Roman’s expression shattered.</p><p>“Of course it wasn’t,” he threw his hands up, “Sorry that I’m <em>annoying</em>. Sorry that we live in the same place so you can’t <em>avoid</em> me. Sorry that I’m,” he moved away from Janus, tears streaming, but still somehow he kept his voice steady, “sorry that I’m <em>bad</em>.”</p><p>“You’re not bad, Roman!” Janus yelled, finally finding his voice and moving forwards. Roman wiped at eyes before burying the heels of his hands into them.</p><p>“Right. Because you’re a beacon of truth,” he said, “I knew it,” he whispered, “you hate me. You’re all better off without me.”</p><p>Remy finally stepped forwards, “Roman that’s not true, you,” his eyes widened, “shit,” he said and pulled Janus’s collar back.</p><p>“What are you doing?” Janus screeched and swatted at Remy’s hands. Remy continued to pull and pointed at Roman. Janus followed his finger and gasped.</p><p>A tendril of icy darkness was crawling its way up and under the skin of Roman’s neck, snaking around him and twisting in different places. The wind around him picked up and, suddenly, the darkness let out a wail. A horrible sob-scream that shattered the TV screen and several glasses in the kitchen as it ripped itself from Roman’s throat and curled around him. Remy grimaced.</p><p>“I think I found it.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Snakes and Shadows</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Janus confronts a new truth-</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello everyone!!<br/>All I can say for this chapter is...they're dramatic, ok? They're the dramatic couple.</p><p>Thank you so much for all your love and support!! And sakdjjaksdh fanart??<br/>please check out this AMAZING work of fanart that @rondoel made for the first book, Monsters of the Subconscious!</p><p>https://rondoel.tumblr.com/post/620015088320086017/hopes-and-dreams-and-the-future-beyond-you-are</p><p>(Just for reference, you have my absolute permission and pleasure to make fanart, just be prepared for me to reblog, like, and gush about it with EMBARRASSING enthusiasm because feelingsss~😭😭😭)<br/>Hope you enjoy the chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> Roman was huddled in the corner as the shadows whirled around him in a tight sphere. There was someone screaming near him and Janus felt himself being shaken.</p><p>“Gurl, I know you’re scared but if you keep going, you’re going to shatter my ear drums!”</p><p>Janus blinked and closed his mouth. The screaming stopped. There was a shuffling from behind him and Janus had to wrench his eyes from Roman to see who had appeared.</p><p>Remus and Logan had popped into the room. Logan’s glasses were slightly askew and Remus was wearing a plain maroon t-shirt.</p><p>“Are you all having a screaming contest without me?” he started and stopped, taking in the scene. Roman was screaming now, the black tendrils spreading all over him like veins.</p><p>“What’s going on?” came a voice from the stairs and Janus saw Virgil blink a few times and run down.</p><p>“Roman?!” Patton yelled from Janus’s left and he ran forwards. Remus jolted forwards and pulled him back. Patton glared at him and tried to squirm out of his grip.</p><p>“Sorry, baby blue,” Remus said, his expression uncharacteristically serious, “You get any closer to those winds and we’ll be serving sliced Patton Pat-thai,” Remus said and summoned a sword at his side, “me on the other hand,”</p><p>Remus ran forwards, holding his sword out in front of him to shield his face.</p><p>“Let go of my brother!” he roared and sliced downwards. The shadows only screamed in response and flung him backwards. Logan ran and caught him before he could fly into the coffee table.</p><p>“So that didn’t work,” Remus grumbled and let Logan help him up.</p><p>“What’s happening to him?” Virgil yelled, dodging a lamp that was thrown across the room.</p><p>Janus blinked and heard Remy explain to them how the shadow monster they had told them about wasn’t completely gone. How something had triggered Roman’s self-doubt again, this time coming back with a vengeance.</p><p>Because of him.</p><p>“This is all my fault,” Janus muttered and walked forwards. He felt someone pull him back.</p><p>“What are you doing?” Virgil hissed.</p><p>“This is <em>my</em> fault Virgil, I have to go get him!”</p><p>“You go in there and you’ll be <em>killed</em>!”</p><p>“I don’t CARE,” Janus screamed and shoved him off.</p><p>He felt another hand at his shoulder and was about to push them off again when he saw who it was.</p><p>“Let me do this, Patton,” Janus said and Patton shook his head.</p><p>“You defeated this before didn’t you, without dying? How did you do it?”</p><p>The other sides looked at them and Janus shut his eyes, trying to hear his thoughts above all the noise.</p><p>“By. By telling him the truth, but,” Janus opened his eyes, not at all surprised to feel wetness on his cheeks, “there’s no way he’ll believe what I say now!”</p><p>Patton shook his head and turned Janus back towards Roman. The winds were still crashing destructively around him and Roman was on his knees now, his hands at either side of his head.</p><p>“Right now, you are the only person he <em>will</em> believe,” Patton said and Janus looked back, not understanding. Patton only smiled and pushed him forwards slightly, “Just give yourself a chance.”</p><p>Janus looked back at him and then towards Roman. He took a deep breath in.</p><p>“Roman!” he yelled, and when Roman didn’t look up he did it again, “ROMAN!”</p><p>Roman blinked a few times and squinted in Janus’s direction, as if he could barely make Janus out despite him only being a few yards away.</p><p>“Roman I’m <em>sorry</em>. For everything, for,” Janus took a step forwards and felt the wind dig into his shoulder, “For always relying on you, for not considering your feelings,” the wind howled around him and pushed him back a little, but Janus pushed through it, “for hurting you.”</p><p>Roman was looking directly at him now.</p><p>“You have always been good. Selfless, caring, always willing to change for the sake of your friends. Roman, I don’t hate you,” Janus said and Roman closed his eyes again.</p><p>“I don’t believe you!” Roman yelled.</p><p>“It’s the truth!” Janus yelled back and took a step forwards, “Roman, I don’t hate you! I,” he sucked in a breath. The wind had cut into his back and legs, “Roman I <em>love</em> you,” he screamed.</p><p>He realized it then. It was so much more than a simple crush. Roman’s willingness to help someone he had considered an enemy, to get wounded for him, to drag him halfway through the subconscious. Roman’s care, his ability to tell that Janus had a nightmare despite being freaked out from one himself. His stubborn, brooding modesty that didn’t fail to be attractive, despite the cliché. His laugh, his smile, his pout when he got embarrassed. His rare faint blush when he actually took a compliment.</p><p>Janus loved it. Loved everything about him.</p><p>The wind fell silent and for only a second, Janus took in Roman’s wide eyed expression before all hell broke loose.</p><p>If the screaming was loud before, it was ear shattering now. Janus glanced back to see the other sides huddled behind the couch with their hands at their ears.</p><p>“STOP LYING,” Roman yelled, his voice partially distorted.</p><p>Janus grunted and tore his gloves off, “I’m <em>not</em>. I love you! I love you and I can’t stand it because you’re not bad, <em>I </em>am.”</p><p>The wind flung him to the side and he felt his shoulder crash into the wall as he fell. Janus pushed himself up, “I wanted to stop loving you, I wanted to avoid you and ignore you because I don’t want to hurt you because <em>I’m</em> the villain in your story, Roman. But I,” Janus gulped, “I can’t. No matter how hard I try, no matter how much I try to convince myself. I love you.”</p><p>Some of the shadows that surrounded him shrieked and shriveled. The shadows that had circled around Roman now flung themselves at Janus. They pushed him down and Janus shoved at them.</p><p>“I love you, Roman!” he screamed again and one of the bony hands scratched his chest before disappearing. Janus leaned against the wall and used it to pick himself up. He closed his eyes, feeling power well up behind his eyes, “I love you,” he said again, this time his voice turning deep and resonant. The shadows lurched towards Janus again, but Janus swatted them back as he walked towards Roman.</p><p>A soft golden glow surrounded him as he put all of himself into his voice of Truth, “I love you, Roman,” he repeated as he finally made it to the other side and knelt next to him. The shadows screamed, but shriveled into ash upon touching him. Janus reached up and touched Roman’s temples and the black tendrils flew out of him like smoke.</p><p>The shadows watched them now, not disappearing, but still surrounding them.</p><p>“I’m sorry, but it’s true,” Janus said, his voice back to normal and catching slightly. Roman looked down at him, his eyes wide and his hair completely windswept. His shirt had been ripped to shreds and he leaned back against the wall as Janus gave him a watery smile.</p><p>Roman raised his hand and Janus flinched back a little, fully expecting the very well deserved slap. Instead, he felt his scales tingle slightly as Roman softly cupped his cheek.</p><p>“Janus?” he asked and Janus looked up just as Roman closed the distance between them.</p><p>Janus’s eyes widened for a moment before they fluttered closed and he moved his hands from Roman’s temples to around his neck. The shadows around them vibrated and erupted, turning from obsidian to glittering gold and showering the two of them before disappearing for good, but all Janus could register were the soft lips on his own, so warm and safe. Passionate, but chaste.</p><p>Roman pulled back from the kiss and smiled.</p><p>“I believe you.”</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Snakes and Princes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tag yourself in this chapter, I'm Virgil-</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>More absolutely STUNNING fan art!</p><p>this one by @cheseyre with the kiss scene :') it's so detailed! Their arms are even in the same position as in the story!!</p><p> https://cheseyre.tumblr.com/post/620658198737715200/quarantinevibes2020-turns-out-i-do-have-a</p><p>And this one by @zen-wd :D it has scenes from both books and the poses are fantastic! </p><p> https://zen-wd.tumblr.com/post/620651237919047680/quarantinevibes2020-it-was-originally-just-gonna</p><p>You readers are so talented, thank you so much for reading and sharing your incredible talent with me😭</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It took a good minute for Janus’s brain to reset and he looked up at Roman.</p><p>“You kissed me,” he said, a little blankly.</p><p>“I did,” Roman said, an easy smile and a faint blush spreading across his face, “Is, uh. Is that ok?”</p><p>Oh. <em>Oh</em> it was more than ok. So ‘more than ok’ that Janus barely even noticed that the several cuts he had gathered on the way to Roman had disappeared with the shadows. And if Janus could, he would spend maybe the next three days rooted to the spot, describing just how ‘more than ok’ it was, but Roman had gotten up and pulled Janus to his feet as well. They walked back to the gawking sides.</p><p>Patton was squealing and Remy clapped Janus on the back, so hard that Janus nearly fell forwards.</p><p>“Yass, gurl. I told you to get your man,” he said with a snap and Janus squeaked.</p><p>“You could see us?”</p><p>Everyone nodded.</p><p>“But the shadows?”</p><p>“Disappeared at the last second like a goddamn Disney movie!” Remus said and smiled, “I’m happy for you, man,” he looked at his brother, “slightly disgusted. But happy for you.”</p><p>Virgil kicked up a chair that had fallen over and plopped back into it.</p><p>“So, what? Is it gone? Are you,” he looked at Roman, “Are you ok?”</p><p>Roman sighed and sat back on the couch across from Virgil. Janus joined him, practically collapsing into the cushions. Patton sat cross legged on the floor next to Remus and Logan who were both sitting on the other couch. Remy leaned against the couch, swirling his drink as Roman looked at his hands.</p><p>“Yeah. I- I think so,” he looked up, “I had all this doubt. I spent all this time thinking that I was messing everything up. My creative banter became awful insults, my decisions ended up hurting Thomas,” he frowned, “I thought that if I just followed someone’s lead, like Patton’s, I’d make the right choice,”</p><p>“Aw, Roman. You don’t need to follow anyone’s lead. Your opinions are just as valuable,” Patton said and Virgil nodded.</p><p>“And I don’t hate your more recent nicknames, they can actually be kind of entertaining.”</p><p>Roman smiled at them, “Thank you,” he said, “I-I think I know that now,” he looked at Janus, “And…I’m sorry. For calling you a liar.”</p><p>Janus held his gaze for a moment before smirking.</p><p>“I mean,” he waved at himself and raised an eyebrow. Roman bumped his shoulder.</p><p>“You know what I meant,” Roman said and Janus laughed.</p><p>“I do. Don’t worry, I can always use my Voice of Truth if I ever need to pound the truth into your head again,” Janus said, but Roman shook his head and looked away.</p><p>“But you shouldn’t have to,” Roman said, “You shouldn’t have to <em>prove</em> yourself when you’re trying to tell the truth. It’s not fair and I’ll try to work on it and I-” Roman began to sputter, his brows furrowed, and Janus could almost see the gears churning in his head. Janus let him ramble for a bit before leaning over and lightly kissing the wrinkle near his eyebrow.</p><p>“Thank you,” Janus said softly and Roman’s face lit up in a deep blush, a sight that Janus had not seen before but could <em>definitely </em>get used to.</p><p>Virgil groaned.</p><p>“Well that’s great. I mean, leave it to you to get saved by a kiss though, Mr. Fairy Tale Prince,” he said and Roman flushed even deeper.</p><p>“On the subject of kissing,” Remus piped up and Virgil swiveled to face him. Remus grabbed Logan’s hand and held it up, “The nerd and I are dating!”</p><p>“WHAT?!” Janus screeched and looked at Remus.</p><p>“Finally,” Virgil said, rolling his eyes and Janus looked at him.</p><p>“You <em>knew</em>?!” he yelled and Virgil looked up.</p><p>“Yes, and now that you two are together I can finally stop listening to Remus’s <em>pining</em> for Logan.”</p><p>Logan turned to Remus. “Pining?” he asked.</p><p>Remus blushed and stuttered and Janus couldn’t believe he never noticed something this obvious before.</p><p>“If you were to liken me to a tree, I would have suggested something other than pine,” Logan said and put a hand to his chin, “Maple? Perhaps Oak?”</p><p>Remus blinked at him, covered his face with his hands, and then grabbed Logan’s head and held him close to his chest.</p><p>“Please never change,” Remus whispered and Logan blinked.</p><p>“I’m unsure what I did, but I am pleased with the results.”</p><p>Janus was still reeling, “H-How? <em>When?</em>”</p><p>Remus perked up at that, “Well, Logan here came into my room and said,” Remus plucked the glasses off of Logan’s face and put them on,  “ ‘Remus, I have a hypothesis I’d like to test’ and then I said,” Remus took the glasses off, “ ‘Sure specs, what are we experimenting on today?’ and then Logan said,” Remus put the glasses back on, “ ‘I think I have romantic feelings for you’ and then I said,” Remus took the glasses off and held a face of utter shock for a full five seconds before continuing, “ ‘and how would you like to test that hypothesis?’ and then he kissed me!” Remus cheered and pumped his hands in the air, “And <em>then</em> Logan said,” he turned to Logan, “what did you say again?”</p><p>Logan gingerly took his glasses back, his voice steady despite his face being flushed red, “I said that in order to gain robust data, an experiment should be run in replicate.”</p><p>Remus nodded vigorously, “Right! That! So then <em>I</em> said, ‘Well, who am I to argue with the scientific method?’ so <em>then</em> we-”</p><p>“Alright, enough! We get the idea, we don’t need the play-by-play!” Virgil said, throwing his hands in the air and getting up. He swept his hand across the room, pointing at Janus, Roman, Logan, and Remus, “You’re all adorable, I’m disgusted and I’m going upstairs. Good night.”</p><p>Patton nodded and got up as well, “Yeah. I’ll also head to bed, I’m still binge watching my dog ASMR videos. There’s two in the one I’m on right now!”</p><p>Virgil stopped on his way up the stairs, “You’re watching dog ASMR at 4 AM?”</p><p>Patton gave a small laugh and a shrug, “Couldn’t sleep?”</p><p>They stared at each other, shuffling a little bit before Virgil took a deep breath.</p><p>“Can I join you?” he asked and Patton’s eyes widened.</p><p>“I-what?” he stuttered and Logan nodded.</p><p>“Auditory sensory meridian response, it’s quite fascinating. May I join as well?”</p><p>Patton straightened and he looked at Logan who gave him a small smile back.</p><p>“Of- of course,” Patton said and Remus grinned, shoving the four of them towards Patton’s room.</p><p>“I’m not sure what ASS-mer is, but I’m definitely hearing a movie night!”</p><p>“Just make sure to sleep soon!” Remy said with a huff and waved at them before sinking out.</p><p>Remus looked back towards the pair on the couch, “You guys coming?”</p><p>“In a bit,” Roman said with a smile, “have fun bro. You too padre, specs,” he smirked at Virgil, “clearance aisle at Spencer’s.”</p><p>Virgil stuck his tongue out at him and herded the group towards Patton’s room. Roman looked at Janus and slung an arm around him.</p><p>“So,” Janus said, distracting himself from the muscular arm that was now around him, “where’s my nickname?”</p><p>Roman raised an eyebrow in question, an ever present smirk on his face.</p><p>“You know,” Janus said and waved an arm in the direction that the group exited, “You call everyone else a nickname. Now that you know my real name, what’s mine?”</p><p>Roman buzzed his lips for a moment before answering.</p><p>“You don’t get one, Janus.”</p><p>Janus spluttered, “What? Why?”</p><p>“Because,” Roman said, pressing his lips into Janus’s temple and pulling away, “I like your real name too much.”</p><p>Janus couldn’t reply. This short-circuiting thing was starting to become a habit.</p><p>“You’re not a villain, you know,” Roman said and Janus looked up at him, “this is the second time you’ve saved me from the same monster. Do you know what that makes you?”</p><p>Janus shook his head and Roman leaned in with a smile.</p><p>“My hero.”</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello lovely readers! THANK YOU so much for reading!! When I started this sequel, I was really unsure if anyone was going to read it, but you were all so supportive and wonderful ;-; and this fic now has a special place in my heart ❤ Thank you so much for the comments, the kudos, and just for reading! Writing is pretty much one of my only (but essential) sources of serotonin these days so thank you for encouraging that !</p><p>On that note~ (yes really, I’m having a lot of fun ok?)</p><p>Warning: massive self promo- Did you enjoy this fic? Did you like the idea of Roman getting validation? Did you think this fic was lacking everyone’s favorite spider a little bit? If so, check out my next fic: Liquid Courage !</p><p>As always, regardless if you read on, thank you SO much for reading this fic. You’re all amazing 🤩!<br/>Until next time :)</p>
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